Life is a struggle for survival : narratives of children who have a parent living with cancer

Abstract

This study will seek to understand what children experience when they know that their parent is suffering from cancer. The work explores the implications on their lives, how the social worker can be of help, and what kind of support might be given in these situations. To conduct this study, two research designs will be used. A narrative approach will be used with five participants, aged between fourteen to eighteen years of age, by listening to their life story, and trying to understand how they feel that one of their parents is living with cancer. A semi-structured interview will be conducted with the senior social worker at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital to explore how parents and children experience this situation, and what may be a suitable support system for them. The findings are presented to the reader in two sections. The first part deals with the different important aspects of the \ child's life in relation to this experience, while the second part put across the position of the social worker in relation to cancer in the family. These findings are supported by evidence from various researches, together with my reflections on these findings. . An issue that became increasingly evident is the difficulty that children experience when speaking either with the other family members or with their friends, about their parent who is living with cancer. In conclusion, this study will be presented to the senior social worker at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital in order to show that children need information and support to be able to deal with a cancer in the family. Moreover, this study can be an incentive to other professionals in the field to continue working and researching the subject.